High Cascade – Session 1 in the books for summer 2013

The first day of Summer ironically ended the last day of Session 1 at High Cascade Snowboard Camp, and even though Mother Nature was VERY hydrated, campers and staff got their first fix of summer boarding. I sat down with Mike Rav over a cup of coffee and a miniature bag of Cheetos, to find out how he spent his first week of camp.

Tanner: Rav, thanks for being with us, have a Cheeto.Rav: OK, thanks.

What were some of the best things happening on hill this week?First of all, everything. Being on a hill after a long season is amazing and seeing the amazing park the Diggers built. Other highlights would be, QP sessions that happened every single day comprised of Ranndy Vaanurden, Richie Conklin, Scott Blum, and Alex Lopez.

I saw your hands in the snow more than your snowboard up there. What was going on?We have all just been trying to learn some new hand plants. At this point in my snowboard career it’s my favorite thing to do and no there is no reason to not try and learn as many as possible. [Editor's note: SNOWBOARDER Magazine fully backs this sentiment.]

Due to some technical difficulties, Cobra Dogs was a few days late to camp. What on Earth were you eating until then?Luckily, the K-Unit at camp holds it down and they cook us a huge variation of food, so we are good in that department.

We experienced a little bit of classic Oregon rain first session. What kinds of things were you doing off hill to keep yourself busy?Well, luckily we could skate a few of the days. Other than that, I spent time kickin’ it in the lodge watching snowboard movies with campers and working on my pool game.

Next week is the Merril Mini Pipe Invitational and I know that all your energy drink sponsors have built you a private mini pipe to train on somewhere in Massachusetts to prepare. What kind of stuff are we going to see and who is your biggest threat in this contest?Hahahahaha. The main threat of course is Scotty Steves, but thankfully, to my Mom and Dad for the mini pipe in MA, I learned a few triple and quad corks that I will be unveiling. But I’m most excited about the Super McVarial 900 I learned after seeing it on Rocket Power.